Everything you need to know about UK’s most famous music festival
There’s always something particularly exciting about the first edition of a festival. And when it comes to Primavera Sound Madrid, that excitement is at fever pitch. The festival brand’s OG edition in Barcelona has become one of the biggest and most slickly-polished festival affairs in all of Europe – the prospect of a brand-new location in a completely different city is very enticing indeed.
Primavera Sound Madrid has pretty much an identical lineup to its sister fest in Barcelona – and that’s very much a good thing. Offering a mix of straight-up legends and on-the-pulse newcomers, the bill is as packed with great names as ever. The venue, meanwhile, is a vast event space called the Ciudad de Rock (literally Rock City or City of Rock. Cool, eh?) and Madrid, as everyone knows, is a host city perfect for meeting any and all of your non-festival needs.
Here's all you need to know about Primavera Sound Madrid in 2023, from the dates and lineup to tickets and transport access.
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When is Primavera Sound Madrid 2023?
The 2023 edition of Primavera Sound Madrid will take place from June 8 to June 11, though festivalgoers will also have access to Primavera en la Ciudad gigs in the city from June 5.
How can I get tickets?
Tickets are available on the official website and on ticketing platform Dice. You can also get tickets in instalment plans, as well as VIP tickets and joint tickets for both the Madrid and Barcelona editions. There’s a huge range of day tickets on offer, too, including mixing-and-matching of days between the two festivals. See the full selection of ticket options on the official website here.
How much are tickets?
A standard full festival ticket costs €325 (£286, $345) plus a €10 (£8.80, $10.60) booking fee. If you’d like to pay in instalments, it’ll cost a little more. VIP tickets and a joint ticket to also attend Primavera Sound Barcelona cost €545 (£481, $577) and €520 (£459, $550), respectively. Madrid residents can get discounted tickets.
How many tickets can I buy?
You can buy up to a maximum of four tickets on Dice.
What is the Primavera Sound Madrid 2023 lineup?
Just like the Barcelona edition, the headliners of Primavera Sound Madrid are New Order, Depeche Mode, Kendrick Lamar, Halsey, Blur, Rosalía and Calvin Harris. Acts who’re playing Madrid but not Barcelona include legendary US art rockers The Mars Volta and Spanish pop superstar Bad Gyal.
As we’ve come to expect from Primavera Sound, however, the key appeal of the festival is in the depth of quality in the line-up. Squint at the smaller names on the poster and you’ll find Velvet Underground icon John Cale, UK art pop duo Jockstrap, electronic dance act Overmono and Japanese drone metal band Boris. And that’s barely scratching the surface – check out the full lineup here.
How do I get to the festival?
Madrid is served by one main airport, Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport. The city is also served by several long distance coach companies (such as FlixBus and Megabus) and is well-connected by rail to both the rest of Spain and countries around Europe.
Once you’re in Madrid, the festival itself is near a town southwest of the city called Arganda del Rey, which is on line nine of the Metro. Shuttles will run from Arganda del Rey metro to the Ciudad de Rock. However, shuttles will also run directly from Madrid to the festival. You can find out more about those shuttles here.
How can I watch the festival at home?
When the festival is on, Primavera usually streams certain performances live on its official website here. You can also watch old performances on the festival YouTube channel here.
